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Here we go again

November 25, 2007

After half-assing my workouts for the last couple of months, I have been talked into training for another triathlon next summer. Since July 29th, I’ve been horsing around and just trying to maintain some fitness level: shooting baskets, boxing, lifting weights. Anything but swimming. Oh god, how I hate swimming. As any triathlon book will tell you, you need some mental down-time and some leisure after the season. My translation of that has been “Go clubbing every weekend, as long as you can still run 2 miles in under 14 minutes.” Yes, I’ve picked some arbitrary and easily maintainable goal – and decreed that I can have as many beers and donuts if I don’t stray too far. As longtime blog readers will tell you, I’ve always cheered for Jan Ullrich. And now I’ve adopted his off-season training schedule.

Unfortunately, I don’t have T-Mobile’s systematic doping regimen to lean on, so it’s back to the grindstone. Minnesota winters and swimming just don’t mix. Three swims weekly, three runs weekly, three cycling sessions weekly and three weightlifting sessions: that’s 2 disciplines daily 6 times a week. For 7 months. God I’m an idiot. But the lure of doing better than before has pulled me back in. This year’s event had just picture perfect weather. And I did a respectable 120th out of 800; with a seriously screwed up swimming intro in which I lost 4 minutes – costing me literally about 50 spots. Throw in a spring knee injury and I know I can improve.

Consider yourselves lucky: After the event I almost wrote a very detailed account of the race. If you think this entry is mind-numbingly boring, imagine several more paragraphs on my race nutrition, course conditions and lessons learned. However, if training goes well, I get my passion back and I cave in and buy a Cervelo P2C this winter, expect photos like a proud new father. I’ll only bore you with three: this year’s swim, bike and run: